Shackled
by Kraven Ergeist
Summary: Halibel is taken prisoner by Soul Society after Aizen's defeat, and receives an unlikely visitor. Hitsugaya x Halibel :: CH 5 IS UP!
1. Chapter 1

**Bleach Fan Fiction**

**Shackled**

By Kraven Ergeist

Why they kept her alive was beyond her - some crap about preventing the Hougyoku from completing some formula that involved the death of the Espada of Sacrifice. Though she knew it was not out of courtesy that her existence was preserved, Tia Halibel clung to life, her power bound in a collar that left her nullified, forever a prisoner of Soul Society.

She had no inkling as to how she had survived, or what had transpired after Aizen betrayed her. When she awoke, she found herself bedridden and bound within the 4th Division, with masked orderlies crowding over her with institutional disinterest. She had no strength, and couldn't fight them as she felt her body being healed. After numerous such disjointed memories, she remembered being woken up and brought in front of a trial of Shinigami, many of whom she remembered from the battle of Karakura.

Among them was the white haired brat.

She remained silent and stoic throughout the ordeal. The whole thing was bullshit to begin with – an act to maintain the illusion of civility. There was nothing civil about what was going on here. The people who stared down at her were doing so with unmasked hatred and disgust, and had no intention of even considering leniency.

All except that boy. He just stared at her, with the same feigned indifference he always had. He held his tongue throughout the duration of the trial. In fact, it didn't even look like he was part of the jury – just an observer.

At no point was a single word voiced in her defense. No one asked her _why_ she did what she did, asked if she had any other choice than to side with Aizen. No one sympathized with the harsh world of the Espada, the constant battles for their very survival, the instincts that drove them to hunt and kill.

No one was put on trial for Apacci, Sun-Sun and Mila Rose's deaths.

Her markings, the bone fragments and tattoo that made her an Espada, were all gone - erased by the collar that bound her from her power. Some creation of the 12th Division that effectively reduced an Espada to the level of a soul that dwelled in Rukongai.

After the mock trial was over, she was given a drab white prisoner's robe, and placed in a cell. And there she stayed, to sulk, to grieve, the stew in her anger and remorse. She was a broken, caged animal, kept against her will. She longed for death, but lacked the means even to end her own life. She had nothing left, nothing to tie her to anything. Everyone she had owed anything to, anything she ever thought was important…

It had all been yanked from her.

Days became weeks, weeks became months, and still nothing changed. She needed no sustenance, so no one even came by to deliver food. Every once in a while, a guard would walk by her door, but they didn't even glance inside. There was only a small window at the door, and an even smaller one that let her look outside. Not that she minded the dark. As a soul with her power bound, she had no power, not even to kill herself. She had no choice but to linger on as the days went on.

Until one day, the door opened without explanation or warning.

Having no visitors, nor will or capacity to cause enough of a disturbance to warrant disciplinary measures, she had been withheld from any form of human contact for the duration of her sentence. How much time had gone by? Weeks? Months? She had lost count. Not long enough for her mind to succumb to madness just yet, at least, so she thought.

"You seem to be getting on well…" an ironic and familiar voice sounded from the sliver of light let into her dark cell by the door.

Laying on the stone bench laid into the wall, Halibel glanced at the intruder, her bronze skin adorned by nothing more than her white prison robes, which felt as constricting as the collar that bound her power. The light hurt her eyes, and she grimaced to see who had decided to come and torment her.

She was only half surprised to see the white haired brat from before.

What was it about this boy? She had no illusions that he was as old as he appeared, and in fact, behaved far more maturely than his peers as a result of that appearance. So whatever motivated him to come to her like this, it wasn't likely to be for childish amusement, either by abuse or…some other form…

"What are _you _doing here?" she asked, bitter but honestly curious. Not only was the boy a puzzle to her, but he was her only human contact in this emptiness of spent time. When they had been opponents, they had both recognized each other's skill, which had satisfied the warrior within her. And at her trial, he was the only one who hadn't looked at her like she was worth less than nothing, like she was a stain on an otherwise spotless cloth.

What was it about this boy?

"I don't really know…" he said, moving out of the light. Backlit as he had been, his face had been obscured. As the door slid closed, and he moved closer to stand by her prone form, she could see his eyes drawn in the same expression he always seemed to make.

It was an expression that almost matched her own.

"Maybe I just came to check on you…" the boy offered, eyes meeting hers. Though these robes she wore were stifling, they still clung to her form, and could do little to mask the devastatingly alluring curves of her body. Still, his eyes remained on hers with no hint of the effect her body must be having on him.

No, it was not for amusement that this boy came to see her.

"Your concern is _so_ touching…" Halibel droned, the sarcasm unmistakable in her voice, though her eyes remained unmovingly affixed to his.

The same green as her own.

"It's not right, what we've done to you…" he said, his voice in such a monotone that the otherwise consolatory words seemed no more than an idle observation.

Halibel did not respond, did not rise to the bait of the obvious hypocrisy – here he was, one of her captors, pretending to offer her compassion?

"Were you a prisoner of war, you would be executed," he went on. If he noticed the scorn plainly on her face, it did not deter him. "Were you one of our own, your sentence would be finite. But this…"

He shook his head in what she realized was honest self-loathing.

"…This is inhumane."

She wanted to scream at him. She wanted to rip him to pieces he made her so angry. Sympathy? From the enemy? She really had hit the bottom! She had been a proud warrior, the third most powerful Espada! To be denied an honorable death, both by her commander, and her enemies was bad enough! But now, for one of her enemies to look on her, not with the hatred, fear and respect of a worthy adversary…but with _sympathy_? And _compassion_?

"Thank you _so much_ for pointing that out to me, you little brat!" she spat, her teeth bared. "Now unless you're going to take that sword of yours -" she gestured to his Zanpakuto with her chin "- and _end_ my misery for me, I would _appreciate_ it -" she practically growled her words at him "- if you would _leave me alone_!"

She was used to lower level Arrancar quivering in fear whenever she grew angry at them. Even the other Shinigami regarded her with fear and disgust, like she was something unnatural. But not this boy. He didn't even flinch from her. She would have been impressed had the reaction not been a clear reminder of her fall from grace.

"I can't kill you," he said, as if she was not raging at him. He had no fear in his voice – but then, what reason did he have to fear her? In her current form, she could expend all her energy, and not even be able to scratch him. "Our laws forbid it, and anyway you can't die in Soul Society as long as you wear that collar…"

Halibel had had enough. She rolled over and refused to look at him. "Go away…" she muttered weakly, shame crackling at the fringes of her voice.

"But maybe there is something I can do to ease your time here," he continued. She could tell by the sound of his voice that he hadn't moved.

"Like what?" she asked, still not looking at him. She was lying on her side with her back facing him.

The white prison robe dipped along her waistline, before rising again to encompass the fullness of her hips. Hitsugaya wondered absently if the men among the ranks of Espada looked at her the same way any other male might, if she had had to tolerate much in the way of propositioning…or even if she thrived upon it. She had so much pride, that he found it difficult to see her allowing anyone within an inch of her flesh.

"Like keep you from losing your mind," he crossed her arms, as if challenging her to contradict him.

Her shoulders heaved as she laughed. Or maybe sobbed.

"Ha! Like an Espada can't handle being locked away for a little while…" she was haughty, but still wouldn't face him. "You Shinigami are _so_ soft."

"You're not an Espada anymore," he said, bringing the bitter truth to bear. "You're not an Arrancar, you're not even a Hollow. You're just a regular soul now, with the same needs and limitations as any other. You won't be able to endure isolation like you could in Hueco Mundo."

Halibel said nothing. She had suspected as much, but to hear it…

"This is part of your sentence, Tia Halibel," Hitsugawa said, using her full name. "That's why you're in pain right now. That's why you're crying."

"I am _not __**crying**_!"

She wheeled on him in an instant, twisting her body to face him, her fists slamming uselessly into his shoulders, tears streaming down her face, face flushed red with rage and shame. Her glared him, eyes ablaze with fury. How dare he! How _dare_ he make assumptions about her! As if he could see right through her! As if the proud and powerful Tres Espada would ever, _ever_ cry over anything!

The young captain's hands clasped over her wrists as her head fell against his stomach, her body shaking furiously. "You don't have a lot of friends right now, Halibel…"

She sniffed, still shivering at the exertion, her hands still balled into fists against his captain's uniform.

"I'm offering to _be_ one…" he said, his voice sounding lower, gentler. Soothing. "…If you'll accept me."

She froze, as if suddenly realizing how close together they had become. She pulled back to a sitting position, eyes fixated on her hands in her lap, chewing on her lips, nose wrinkled in a pout.

She hated him. She hated herself. She hated her human heart for succumbing to such paltry burdens. She hated how appealing his offer sounded…and most of all, hated how appealing the voice making the offer sounded.

"Why?" she mouthed, giving her hands the most intense death glare she could muster.

"I don't know," Hitsugaya admitted. "Maybe I'm just being a fool. But really…what do you have to lose?"

Her eyes still couldn't lift to meet the intense cold of his own. The collar must have been sapping her strength. That _must_ be it.

"Sleep on it," Hitsugaya said with finality, turning around with a flail of his coat. She didn't look up to watch him go, but heard him pause at the door to look over his shoulder, and felt his gaze linger on her for a moment longer before closing the door.

She felt rage and shame boiling anew within her. God damn him! Damn him for making her feel this way, for taking advantage of her when she was so vulnerable! But it was only _because_ she was so vulnerable that he was even here in the first place, the logic in her mind told her. It was her vulnerability to that had evoked his sympathy.

But that thought just made her angry! By all rights, she shouldn't even be here! She shouldn't even be alive! She was defeated. The Espada were defeated. Appacci, Sun-Sun and Mila Rose were dead. Why had Aizen betrayed them! Why had she lost to that brat! She was old enough to be his _mother_! And still…

She shivered, lying back on the stone bench, feeling suddenly very, very alone. That thrice-cursed Shinigami! He had been here for all of ten minutes, and already she longed for the company of another in a way she hadn't since she'd arrived here! Used to the solidarity of being an Espada, she had paid no heed to the growing knot of tension in her stomach but as the dull ache of defeat. Not knowing what it was, she could ignore it, as she had ignored everything. But after the Shinigami brat had revealed the truth to her, and had the nerve to tempt her with the offer of a reprieve, now her solitude was all she could think about!

Only her pride kept her from leaping to her feet and calling after him. She knew it was just the weakness of her now human heart, that these feelings didn't represent the true Tia Halibel, cold heartless killer she knew herself to be. But she couldn't escape this body, just as she couldn't escape this prison. She was trapped, alone and at the mercy of emotions she had never had to deal with for centuries.

Damn that boy! He was right – she _was_ in pain. And she didn't have many friends. This was mostly due to the fact that, until she had been locked up, she had neither wanted nor needed nor had the option of friends. Her Fraccion were about as close as it came, and they were still mere subordinates. Espada didn't _make_ friends. Espada were cutthroat, treacherous, and conniving, always looking for an opportunity to step above one another. That was just the way things were.

And she had been _fine_ with that! She had been _good_ at it! It wasn't a _nice_ world by any means, but it had been _hers_! She had been at the top of it, too! Only two Espada (beside Yammy, who she didn't really count) had been her superior, and Barragan and Stark had no issue with her. She hadn't desired the power or authority that they had, for such positions drew unwanted attention. She had already been received enough attention for being female as it was! But it was a good position to be in – Stark and Barragan allowed her to have her peace, and she remained a loyal servant, content with her status.

All that had been torn from her.

By the Shinigami.

No, not the Shinigami, she reminded herself. The hatred of the Shinigami was something ingrained into her Hollow mindset since her beginning. Ever since she had become a Vasto Lorde and regained her sentience, she had long since decided that she didn't begrudge the Shinigami for hunting her kind, any more so than other Hollows for hunting their own. That didn't mean she wouldn't kill anyone from either party should they dare face her, but she didn't hold it against them. It was the natural order of the world, and it was pointless to loathe any side for being what they were made to be.

But Aizen…

He was the one who had organized them, who had trained them, who had promised them an end to that ceaseless struggle. And it was Aizen that had betrayed them – betrayed _her_, personally – and to what end? She had been a pawn to some kind of game, just a piece to be sacrificed, just as she was now sacrificing what future she might have had in Hueco Mundo by submitting to this endless barrage of solitude and weakness, so that Soul Society could protect the world from whatever it was Aizen had been planning.

But that boy…

What was his name? Toushiro Hitsugaya? He hadn't looked at her with the disgust of his people. He didn't look at her with the envy her peers had. He didn't look at her with the hunger - of _any_ kind - that she had been subjected to over the long years of her life. Although, she did have confidence that her body had definitely been fulfilling its intended purpose in its effect on the young boy's thoughts, no matter how well he hid it.

It was thoughts like that which kept her from despairing completely. Maybe when he came back – for he would come back, and she had already decided to play along with his little game, for now at least – she would use it to her advantage. Her looks were just about the last remaining weapon she had anymore. She had a keen intellect, but until she managed to adapt to her new circumstances, she could not rely too heavily on her wits. She had attempted just that in their earlier encounter, and she had made an utter fool of herself.

That would _not_ happen again.

She drifted off to sleep – it was an odd thing, sleep. As an Espada, she had never slept. No Espada slept, but merely remained still and alert when they rested to recover their strength. In a way, it was oddly comforting. In dreams, she could return to the life she once had, at the top of her world. And when she awoke tomorrow, she would have something to look forward to.

She smiled a smile that was downright carnivorous.

This Hitsugaya boy might just be worth playing with…

xxxxx

A/N: After reading through some of the HitsuBel fics on this site, I found too many of them were rushing straight into things with this pairing. I'm not sure where this notion comes from, that Soul Society is somehow an accepting, easygoing place where Espada can simply waltz through once they are leaderless. I don't know about you, but when the Soul Society arc began, it felt like the characters might as well have been playing GTA with five stars – it was like the entire city was out to get them, and it was filled with the occasional captain class Shinigami that could put them down with a thought.

My point is, Soul Society is _oppressive_, if not towards itself, than definitely towards outsiders. And no matter how much conversion takes place in an Espada, welcoming a former hollow, one of the beings the Gotei 13 was originally formed for the purpose of destroying, is going to take a while. It took weeks for them to accept Ichigo, and he's human to begin with! I just don't see any other means of getting two such enemies together in the aftermath of war unless one of them is the other's prisoner.


	2. Chapter 2

**Bleach Fan Fiction**

**Shackled**

By Kraven Ergeist

Chapter Two

Tia Halibel had an objective. It was not a very good objective, she would candidly admit. It was not ambitious, nor was it inspired, nor after consideration a very productive use of her time. But as long as she was locked up in a Shinigami prison cell with her power sealed in a reiatsu collar, and with absolutely nothing to do, she might as well do _something_ to amuse herself. And having an objective was better than having nothing at all. It gave her focus. It gave her drive. It gave her something to…sink her teeth into, so to speak.

She would defeat Hitsugaya.

Not by killing him. Not by any physical means, at least in terms of combat. Nothing she could ever do to him in her current state would hurt him enough physically so as to reverse their roles as prisoner and warden. But he had humiliated her. And she would not stand for that. She was the Tres Espada, Tia Halibel, in spirit if no longer in body. No one got the better of her. No one made a fool of her the way he had. So she would humiliate him in return.

No, not just humiliate – she would disgrace him. She would shame him!

Not right away; she didn't know enough about what made him tick yet to properly take advantage of him, though she did know a surprising bit already. She knew he was close to his Lieutenant, a ginger woman with a sword made of ash who filled her robes even fuller than she herself could, Halibel admitted grudgingly. This might have something to do with the boy's seeming resistance to Halibel's…abundant charms. She also knew that there was another girl to whom he was close, a younger girl of raven hair, who seemed the complete opposite of the redhead. Halibel didn't know what that indicated about the boy's preferences, but that he was close with two such opposites spoke volumes in and of itself.

So far, he was the only Shinigami, besides that flamboyant drunkard who defeated Stark, who had displayed any interest in her, and the former was far too old to fall for any tricks or traps that she could lay in her current state, not to mention far too powerful. But the boy…he was just young enough for her to ensnare. Let him think she was a helpless little girl, in need of rescuing. Let him imagine that she had seen the light, been misguided, and wanted to repent. Let him believe that she saw him as her shot at a second chance for a better life. Let him think he could be the one she would turn to in her time of need, who she would bare her deepest, most personal secrets to, and be allowed to touch her ice cold heart.

She would play along with his little game. And then, when the time was just right, she would throw it all back in his face. Let him see how pathetic his efforts had been, how gullible he had been to trust an _Espada_. Let him feel the remorse of losing a confidence he thought he had gained in her. Let him weep as he felt the barest taste of the misery she had been subjected to. His suffering would be hers to cherish.

So was her mind decided, that she awaited his arrival the next day. As weakened as she was, her reiatsu senses were still on par with any Shinigami, and now that she was expecting him, could sense him coming as soon as he entered the prison. When he opened the door, she was sitting up with her collar loosened, leaning back on her hands with her legs crossed, a catlike smirk on her uncovered face.

"I wondered how long you'd keep me waiting…" she said in a husky voice, dangling one leg invitingly over the other.

He would have had to have been dense not to hear what her voice implied. "Don't get the wrong idea. I didn't come here for _that_."

"So you say…" she said languidly, peering at him beneath long, golden lashes.

Hitsugaya wrinkled his nose. "All I'm offering is some polite conversation…if there's something else you need, find someone else."

She leaned forward, resting her chin in her hand, her elbow on her knee. "But Captain Hitsugaya…" she said in a mocking tone. "You're the _only_ Shinigami to have graced my quarters. Surely, that must mean something about me has caught your interest…"

As she said that, she leaned back, folding her arms beneath her generous chest.

Even the stoic captain of the 10th Division couldn't prevent his cheeks from reddening as she squeezed her breasts together, her loosened collar revealing much of the cleavage underneath. He swallowed and took a step closer, and leaned forward to peer into her eyes. She responded by leaning forward, so that her breath tickled his face.

His eyes really were a nice shade of green. It was a pity he hadn't been reborn as an Espada. He would have made a truly handsome one.

His hand came up to touch her cheek. She did not stop him as he leaned forward as if to kiss her…and then he suddenly shoved her rudely onto her back, and turned to leave.

"Ahh!" she gasped, surprised by the action. "What…?"

"I didn't come here to see you put on a show," Hitsugaya huffed as he stepped towards the door. "When you feel like taking off that mask, let me know. Maybe one night wasn't long enough for you to make a decision."

He opened the door and stepped through it.

"Wait!" she gasped, putting all her despair into her voice.

He turned to see her leap into his arms, burying her face against his captain's jacket. Having been on the receiving end of such similar attacks from Matsumoto, he didn't topple over as her weight hit him full in the chest, his hands coming up instinctively to hold her up.

"I thought that was what you wanted," she said, her voice sounding desperate, even muffled within his robes. "It's all anyone ever wants from me! I thought if I gave myself to you, you wouldn't leave me alone in this dark place…"

He stared down at the former Espada, surprised at how quickly she had opened up to him. He thought he would have to spend weeks, even months trying to get past her walls to see the real her.

Unless…

He took her by the shoulders, lifting her up to look into her eyes. They were sodden with real tears, though not as much as yesterday. But she didn't look away as she looked at him. He didn't see the shame on her face that he had seen when he had caught her off guard.

She _wanted_ him to see this.

"You're a very good actress," Hitsugaya commented blandly.

Halibel froze. _How…?_

"You think this is just a game?" he asked, crossing his arms. "I can play too, you know. If you want to play dress up next, maybe I should bring my lieutenant along. She'd be happy to play with you."

She got to her feet, turning away, red-faced and furious. "…Shut up."

"Are we done playing now, Halibel?" Hitsugaya demanded. "This is the rest of your life we're talking about. Are you going to keep everyone around you at arms length?"

"Just…go away!" Halibel growled, marching back to her bench and lying down with her back to him again. Real tears were threatening her eyes once again.

The young captain wouldn't be assuaged. "Is this the real you, then? Someone who's too proud and too scared to face the only person who's ever offered her kindness?"

"Get the _**fuck**__ out of here_!" she screamed, her voice echoing off the walls.

One of the Shinigami guards came to the door to peer in, but Hitsugaya put his hand up and shook his head. The guard nodded, but remained just outside.

"I'm not an Espada," Hitsugaya said, kneeling by her bed. She had expended what little energy she had, and was weeping as silently as she could, as if licking her wounds. "I don't know what your world is like. I don't know what you had to become in order to survive it."

He rested his hand on her shoulder, and she flinched at his touch, but made no movement to push him away.

"But I'm willing to listen…if you're willing to tell me…"

The woman lying before him only shivered and shook, in shame, anger, self-loathing, and frustration. Shame for being made a fool, yet again. Anger at the boy for getting the better of her – again! Self-loathing for being too weak, of both body and spirit, to stand up to him. And frustration for being in this position at all!

She sniffed back more tears. Why was she crying so much? She never shed a single tear as in Hueco Mundo. It must be this human soul of hers! That was it! Her soul, which before had been buried under layers and layers of rock, ice and bone, and didn't have free reign over her actions, nor had it been available for all who gazed at her to see.

And perhaps most humiliating of all was the way she enjoyed his touch just now just as much as she wanted him to leave.

"Get some rest," he said, and she swore he was deliberately patronizing her. "I'll see you tomorrow."

She squeezed her eyes shut as he left, and once the door closed, she curled her legs up to her chest.

What _was_ it about this boy?

xxxxx

When Hitsugaya got back to his office, Matsumoto was lounging in her usual spot on the couch, a bottle of sake in hand.

"How's our resident Espada?" she asked, congenially.

Hitsugaya didn't bother pointing out that there were still loads of paperwork she should be doing, and sat down at his desk to get to it himself.

"I don't think she's adjusting very well…" Hitsugaya shrugged, not wanting to reveal too much of what had gone on. His lieutenant knew from the get-go that her captain had thought Soul Society had been less than civil with the former Espada, and in fact, had been the one to suggest the idea that he pay her a visit, if just to get out of the office for a little while. But if she learned how close he had come to giving into her invitation…

"Well, what do you expect?" Matsumoto stretched, letting her sleeves bunch up around her shoulders. "She's a prisoner to an enemy she's only ever known hatred for. Even if Captain Mayuri's little doohicky works on her, and she is no more than a regular soul now, she still has the mindset of an Espada after all."

Hitsugaya nodded. "Yeah, I know. I'm not sure what I expected. I just hate to see her struggling through such obviously self-destructive behavior."

Matsumoto watched her captain with the eyes of a cat. She might as well have sprouted a pair of ears as she sipped her sake coyly.

"So…you put the moves on her yet?"

The young captain, who had been in the midst of pouring himself some tea, promptly spilled the hot liquid all over his uniform.

"Wha-? _Owwww_!"

Matsumoto giggled like a schoolgirl as the young man leapt out of his seat, holding the damp part of his robe away from his skin.

"Damnit, Matsumoto!" he growled, red in the face. "That _wasn't_ funny!"

"I found it quite funny," his lieutenant smiled, offering him a towel.

Hitsugaya took the towel grudgingly and tried to soak the tea out of his robe. He'd have to change it. "Look, it's not like that, alright? I just feel kind of sorry for her."

Matsumoto raised an eyebrow at that. "Sorry for her? This is the same Espada that would have cut you in half if you hadn't been prepared for it, you know."

Hitsugaya finished cleaning his robe and went back to his tea. "And I froze her in a mountain of ice. We were both doing our duty. Now, that responsibility is over."

"You don't know that," Matsumoto gave her hair a toss. "Hueco Mundo is still riddled with Arrancar. Just because they're scattered to the four winds doesn't mean they're no longer our enemies."

Hitsugaya shook his head. "She's not a hollow anymore, Matsumoto…her human soul has been stripped of its armor. But she hasn't been human for centuries, maybe millennia. She has no idea how to _be_ one anymore."

The redhead laid her arms on the back of the couch, resting her head against her arms so she could look at him. "And you're the one who's going to teach her how to be human again?"

Hitsugaya poured himself a fresh cup of tea and took a sip. "Something like that…"

Matsumoto watched her captain for a moment. He may have been one of the most mature people in his age group, but he still had a lot to learn. As skeptical as he was, at his core, he was an idealist. He did in fact believe that there was a bit of good in everyone, and that those who chose not to show it were merely laden with baggage. One day, she knew, he was going to find out the truth. And if his visits with the Espada were any indication, he would be finding out the hard way. She only hoped she could be there for him when he did.

Matsumoto gave up on that line of thought and went to stand by his desk. "So whose are bigger?" she asked innocently, hefting her sizeable assets, appraisingly. "Halibel's or mine?"

Tea and spittle showered the day's paperwork.

"_Matsumoto_!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Bleach Fan Fiction**

**Shackled**

By Kraven Ergeist

Chapter Three

Halibel stared in stupefaction at the captain of the 10th squad as he stood in her cell doorway holding a flat wooden box with a set of hinges on one of the longer edges and crisscrossing black lines on either side.

"What's that?" she asked, voicing her question by way of greeting.

Hitsugaya, not at all taken aback by her lack of a real greeting, simply held up the wooden box, its contents clinking together as he lifted it. "This…" He set the box down on the floor and flipped the clasps opposite the hinges, allowing the box to be opened and revealing its contents. "…is a shogi board."

He scooped the pieces out and flipped the box so that the crisscrossing lines formed a nine by nine field of rectangles.

Halibel displayed no intention of getting up from her position on the bench with her back against the wall, though she did eye the items the Shinigami brought with him, purely for the sake of verifying that they were not part of some secret plot to interrogate or humiliate her further.

"That doesn't really answer my question…" she huffed, looking away in disinterest, though Hitsugaya could see her attention remained on the board out of the corner of her eye.

"It's a strategy game," Hitsugaya said patiently, placing the individual pieces atop the game board.

"Hmph…" Halibel snorted. "Games are for children."

Hitsugaya raised an eyebrow. Was that a crack at his age, or was she just being uncooperative?

"There's nothing childish about this game," the white haired boy went on lining up pieces. "Captain Commander Yamamoto plays this game, and even he'll admit that he has yet to fully master it."

The former Espada turned to look at the game board. There were 81 rectangles with twenty pieces per side, with the largest pieces in the center behind each line of opposing tiles. This must be the object of the game, she quickly deduced, to take this largest piece. After that, it just became a matter of figuring out how each of the other pieces moved.

"Why show me this?" Halibel asked, suspiciously. She longed for the mask her Espada's collar had provided her. With it, she could concentrate less on schooling her reactions and more on the task at hand. As she was now, her face bare of even her skull mask, her expression was a source of constant information to the Shinigami.

Hitsugaya didn't move his eyes from his task as he finished placing the pieces on the game board. "Because _you're_ bored out of your mind, and _I'm_ tired of letting Shunsui beat me in this game. And Matsumoto has no taste for it."

Halibel raised an eyebrow. "And, what? You think _I'd_ want to play this game with you?"

Hitsugaya let his mouth curve into a wry smile. "Do you have something better to occupy you at the moment? Aside from trying to seduce underage captains?"

"Watch it…" her brows furrowed as she frowned.

"Consider this a peace offering," Hitsugaya said, sitting on his knees on one side of the board, gesturing to the opposite side. "You're a brilliant tactician, Halibel, and your mind is wasted rotting in here all day. You need _something_ to focus your mind on, and it might as well be something worth excelling in."

Halibel exhaled through her nose. While it was true, she had reached that very same conclusion not a day ago, she didn't feel like expending her energy on something so trivial.

She crossed her arms. "Why should I play along with your little game? Are we going to just forget the fact that we're enemies?"

Hitsugaya pursed his lips. "If a peace offering isn't good enough, then consider it a favor for all the crap I've put up with from you."

Halibel's eyes flew open in outrage. "That _you've_ put…?" She bit off and expletive and looked away, her fists clenched, blood boiling.

Hitsugaya's dispassionate face was a marvel of stoicism at work. "You have a choice, Halibel. Remain a reclusive hermit in here for the rest of your days, or try to enjoy yourself. I'm offering you a chance at that."

"So that you can do _what_?" Halibel spread her hands outward, in a demanding gesture. "Turn me into your little pet Espada?"

"No…" he sighed softly, putting all his patience into his voice with no small amount of effort.

"Then what?" Halibel demanded. "So that you can feel better about yourself? So you can feel like you're living up to the standards of the Shinigami, and not sinking to level of your enemies?"

"No!" Hitsugaya grumbled through clenched teeth, his patient exterior cracking.

"Then why?" Halibel demanded. "Why are you shelling out for me? Why are you going to all this trouble? Why are you even giving me the time of day?"

"Because you're _different_!" Hitsugaya shouted back, silencing her with his own voice. "You're _different_ than the other Espada! You're _more_ than just an enemy, Halibel! There's a _person_ under there! A _real_ person, with thoughts and feelings of your own!"

Halibel looked like she was about to burst a blood vessel. "And what's _that_ supposed to mean? Appaci and Mila Rose and Sun-Sun were people too! You didn't give _them_ this kind of chance!"

Hitsugaya looked away. "Not my choice to make."

"Right!" Halibel crowed. "Because we're enemies! You're just trying to help me because to _you_, I'm just this _helpless little_ _girl_ now!"

"No," Hitsugaya said firmly. "I'm trying to help you because you're the only one that's still alive."

Halibel froze. Her heart sank. She didn't think it could have sunken any lower. Her jaw hung slack, leaning over the bench, eyes wide in shock. She had assumed – feared - exactly that, that her comrades had been killed.

But…_all_ of them?

"You're the only one left, Halibel" Hitsugaya breathed, knowing the truth would be like an arrow through her chest. "You're the only one I can do anything for now…I'm sorry."

"…Get out…" she breathed

Hitsugaya stared up at her. Her eyes were once again on the verge of tears, but this time, the rage on her face was not borne of pride…but grief.

"Hali-"

"_Get out, __**now**_!"

With a burst of energy neither knew she still possessed, she flung the shogi board across the room, spilling its pieces along its flight path, clattering unceremoniously against the far wall, before hitting the floor with a loud crack, its polished mahogany finish chipping with the impact.

Without a word, Hitsugaya left, leaving the shogi board and all its pieces on the floor. He could come back for it later, or get another one if she decided to take out her anger on it later. But she needed some time alone.

She seemed to be needing a lot of time alone, from what he could see. There seemed to be a very predictable pattern going on with her during these visits. As soon as he said something that made her feel particularly vulnerable, she would blow up at him, expending all her energy in a single outburst of emotion. After which point, she would exhaust herself of her diminished reserves of reiatsu, and be unable to tolerate his presence any longer. It was textbook depression, but he saw no feasible means of helping her get over it. Maybe all she really needed was time. After all, if she was feeling anything at all psychologically, it was a sign that underneath, she was still human.

On the way back to his office, Shunsui waved at him as he strode passed accompanied by his vice captain.

"Hey there squirt!" he called jovially, after trying unsuccessful to drape his arm over Nanao's shoulder. "Up for some shogi later?"

Hitsugaya gritted his teeth. Shunsui _knew_ he hated it when he called him that!

"Maybe some other time, Shunsui," he said, feigning distraction. He just wasn't in the mood for shogi at the moment anyway.

xxxxx

When Hitsugaya inevitably returned the next day, he was on the verge of giving up. He wasn't sure why he kept doing this anymore. Was he feeling this guilty about Halibel's imprisonment? Or was he just a glutton for punishment? Dealing with the fallen Espada was like dealing with an addict, or a psych ward patient. She just didn't seem to have the mind to cooperate, and saw any of his attempts to do so as an affront to her pride.

So why didn't he just give up on her? He hadn't been lying when he had told her that she was different from the other Espada he'd seen. Though, to be fair, she was the only Espada he had ever gotten to meet in person. Maybe every Espada was the same as she was. He didn't deny that he had grown up having been taught to fear and hate Hollows, the way human children were taught to fear the bogeyman, the way Hollows probably were taught to fear and hate Shinigami.

So why didn't he feel the same revulsion from her that his peers felt? He had felt some of it during their fight over Karakura, but now that she was a soul…there didn't seem to be anything abnormal about her. She was clearly maladjusted and most likely still harbored criminal intentions towards Soul Society. But she didn't seem like a hollow to him.

She seemed like a human. As human as any of his peers. With a self-loathing beyond that of Hinamori, but with a mischievous side to rival Matsumoto enough to make his lieutenant blush.

He smiled inwardly at the thought.

But that still didn't explain why he was doing this. Did he think he could somehow convince her to _like _the Shinigami? The thought seemed ridiculous. Was she right about him, that he was only doing this to make himself feel nobler as a Shinigami? Surely he didn't harbor such superfluous delusions.

Was it just because he liked her?

Hitsugaya shook his head violently. No! Not in _that_ way at least! Sure, she was interesting, and he respected her for her skill. And while he couldn't pretend that he didn't find her stunning, he had dealt with Matsumoto for long enough to know when such ovations were merely plays to get him to do something he wouldn't otherwise do.

He did feel like she had gotten the short end of the stick at the end of it all though. And he also hadn't been lying when he'd told her that the others were dead. Every Espada they had encountered in Karakura town had been exterminated, and after Soi Fon had taken the 3rd Division cleanup crew through Las Noches, no Hollow above the rank of Vasto Lorde had been left standing, at least, to their knowledge.

Halibel really was the last of her kind.

Didn't that make her worth something, at least? Worth protecting? Worth saving?

Worth caring for?

He steeled himself as he opened the door to her cell. After yesterday's outburst, he had expected nothing but cold shoulder from here on out. He had expected to see her with her back to the door, arms crossed in defiance.

Instead, she was sitting on the floor, examining the shogi board he had left there the night before. He was surprised to see that having seen him set all the pieces briefly only once, she had already memorized the placement of each piece, and had set them up perfectly by herself.

He smiled. It looked like the strategian in her got the better of her.

She looked up at him from the place on the board where her attention had been fixated. "I'll let you teach me your stupid board game," she said, a little too quickly. "If you want."

He realized that this was about as close to a request for forgiveness that he was going to get, and nodded. She didn't seem to have sensed his presence until he had opened the door the way she had for the past two days, and was probably embarrassed to have bee caught showing any interest in the game at all.

"The moves are fairly simple," he said, kneeling across from her without preamble. "Kings can move one square in any direction. Rooks can move any number vertically or horizontally, and bishops can move any number diagonally."

Halibel watched in scarcely disguised fixation as she absorbed the rules of the game.

"Gold Generals can move one square vertically or horizontally, or diagonally, but only forward. Silver Generals can move one square diagonally in any direction, or one square forward. Knights can jump over other pieces, and move two squares forward and one square left or right. Lances can move any number of squares forward. Pawns can only move one square forward."

Halibel picked up one of the pawns in confusion, eying the back of the piece, which had a red symbol for gold general. "Why do the pieces have higher ranking symbols on the back?"

Hitsugaya smiled at her seeming eagerness to learn. "Think about it. If so many pieces can only move forward, there will come a point where they can no longer move at all. So once they reach the enemy's territory, they get promoted, like in checkers…"

Halibel stared blankly at him, and he could tell she had no idea what checkers was any more than shogi.

"Like this…" Hitsugaya placed a pawn within the enemy's rank, and flipped it over. "Now my pawn is a gold general, and can move just like one. All pawns, knights, lances, and silver generals can become gold generals. Rooks become dragon kings, and bishops become dragon horses, and gain the ability to move a square in any direction on top of their normal move set."

Halibel nodded, her fascination plain by now. "And you win by capturing the opponent's king?"

Hitsugaya nodded. "Essentially. You never actually capture the king, because whenever a king is threatened, that player _has_ to get their king out of harms way, either by moving the king, or blocking or taking the threatening piece. You just have to put the king in a position so that any move the opponent makes leaves their king threatened. When you take pieces in shogi, you can also spend a turn to place them back on the board under your control."

Halibel's eyes narrowed. "So, you conscript your enemy pieces to fight for you, rather than give them an honorable death? I thought this was supposed to reflect real warfare. You just assume the pieces would gladly turn on their masters?"

Hitsugaya shrugged. "It's supposed to reflect how mercenaries would choose to fight for the other side after being captured rather than be executed. Not everyone in war is as noble as you are."

Halibel was still focused on the game board in front of her.

"Is this to be my fate then?" she asked, her eyes hidden behind her hair. "Am I expected to gladly fight alongside the Shinigami now?"

Hitsugaya had expected this reaction as soon as he had gotten to this part of the game. "No…because, if the game comes down to a draw, you have to count up your pieces. And pieces are worth only as much as they originally were. Because when they're captured, they lose their promotion. They go back to their original form."

He looked up at her.

"The _you_ that I see here now is your original form, Halibel…" his voice had reached that same soft tone it had when he had offered to be her friend. "This is how you were before you became a hollow. Back when you were alive on earth…this is what you were like. And I _don't_ think you were a bad person, Halibel."

She remained still for several long moments. Hitsugaya allowed her to stay silent and collect her thoughts. He could tell she was at a crossroads within herself. He had laid all his cards on the table (at least, most of them), and now it was up to her to decide.

He half expected her to tell him to leave again. Even if she wasn't about to explode like she had before, he could tell she was tired already. Thinking as fast and as hard as she did took a lot of energy, and if she didn't learn to regulate herself, she would expend herself much more quickly than she ever had before.

But he had meant what he'd said. And he could admit to himself now that maybe he did sort of like her, at least as a friend. There was something about her that he just couldn't leave alone.

He saw her lips curve into a smile. Not the wicked grin she had given in previous nights, not her mask of crowing animosity or seductive allure. This was a true smile, the first he had seen her give him.

And she was actually quite beautiful.

"I think…" she said calmly, placing the shogi piece he had turned over back where it went. "…that I'm ready to play now."

Hitsugaya was honestly at a loss for words. He had been able to see through every deception she had thrown at him thus far. Why did her expression now seem so real? Had she finally mastered her human body? Or was she showing him genuine happiness? Either way, he had to stop himself from blushing under her gaze.

Maybe this could work after all.


	4. Chapter 4

**Bleach Fan Fiction**

**Shackled**

By Kraven Ergeist

Chapter Four

Hitsugaya moved a knight into position on the board and held his finger on the piece as he observed the layout of the other game pieces. Finally, he lifted his finger and nodded.

"Checkmate."

Halibel exhaled, blowing a stray lock of hair out of her face. Hitsugaya was growing increasingly frustrating with his skill at this game. While the tenets of the game were easy and she had caught on quickly, the Shinigami had much more practice with it then she had.

Despite his victory, Hitsugaya was impressed. They had been playing for three days now, and he really had to fight for his victories now. This past game had lasted more than an hour, and she was keeping victory from him for longer and longer with each game, and was taking more and more pieces too.

Still, she was grumbling. "Why can't I beat you?" she crossed her arms, sitting back and making it clear that she did not intend to help him clear the board.

Hitsugaya sipped at his tea – he had been bringing a brazier and two cups for the past two visits so that they could have tea while they played – and shrugged.

"You try too quickly to promote your pieces, and you put them at unnecessary risk," he said simply. "If you let your opponent try to move first, you're much more likely to find an opening to exploit."

Halibel nodded, keeping her eyes on him. Despite her no-win streak, one thing these games were undeniably useful for was for gaining more and more insight into Histugaya's character. He was a patient fighter, content to remain on the sidelines while he sized up his opponent. In a way, he was much like her. But when it came to shogi, she saw her pieces, not was parts of herself, but as extensions of herself, as Fraccion so to speak.

Hitsugaya finished clearing the board, and looked like he was ready to pack up and leave for the day.

"So tell me something about Toushiro Hitsugaya?" she asked suddenly.

Hitsugaya paused his work and met her gaze with one of suspicion. "What do you want to know?"

Halibel shook her head. "Anything, really…how about, how did you rise to the rank of Captain?"

Hitsugaya resumed packing. "The same way I suspect that you rose to the rank of Espada – skill and luck."

Halibel's brows furrowed. "You have a talent for avoiding the question."

The smirk on the boy's face was almost enough to make her grit her teeth. "I could say the same thing about you. I've been visiting you for a week now, and I still know practically nothing about you."

Halibel didn't like having the tables turned, and fell back on a methodology that usually seemed to make him too uncomfortable to pursue the matter further.

"You're gonna have to buy me a drink if you want to learn anything else about me, sir…"

Hitsugaya felt a vein throb in his head. Must she always rely upon innuendos whenever she felt the need to hide something? He frowned and lifted his teacup. "All I've got is tea."

"Tell you what then," Halibel smirked, crossing her arms beneath her breasts, making her collar bunch slightly open. "Bring something stronger than leaf juice tomorrow, and we'll see how loose my tongue gets."

She grinned in triumph at the color that rose to his cheeks. He was becoming increasingly susceptible to her flirtations. Her grin widened as he sighed and shrugged his agreement.

"Fine," he huffed in a manner that she had come to learn meant he didn't have the patience to press the issue. "But don't expect me to partake."

"Whatever you say," she shrugged, feigning disinterest as she downed the last of her tea. She had no problem with tea to be sure – she quite liked it as a matter of fact. And it was a welcome relief after spending months with nothing to appease her palette. And while she didn't need food or drink to sustain herself, that did not prevent her (or any other Soul, Shinigami or Arrancar) from indulging from time to time. Although she was used to stronger cordials in Hueco Mundo, and tea, invigorating as it was, just had no kick to it.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Halibel," he said, folding up the burlap satchel he had been using the ferry the increasing number of items to and from her cell.

She waved distractedly as he went, leaning back to relax against the wall, arms interlocking behind her head.

This would be the fifth day she had spent in the Shinigami's company, and the longest one yet by far, though that was mostly due to their shogi game. And while the boy rarely spoke during their games, aside to answer some query about the nuances of the game, she had been able to read so much into his personality throughout his frequent visits, and through his gameplay.

He was patient. Perhaps more so than Ulquiorra or even herself. But he was also still young. There was still a measure of curiosity in the way he approached things. And while she could see that he no illusions as to the way she felt about Soul Society and the Shinigami, he seemed to place a significant deal of trust in the shared respect they had for each other.

Either that, or he had a great deal of faith in her restraints.

That was not to say that she didn't respect the young man. She did – and not just as a fighter either. Though what had started had been the grudging admiration between worthy opponents, with both parties understanding that there would be no other foreseeable outcome other than one's victory over the other, the two of them were now on a completely different playing field.

In their current state, she did not have the strength to kill him, and he did not have the authority to kill her.

And so they bided their time. Still opponents, but in a different sort of game. A game with rules. Limits. And no clear indication of how to win, or what the stakes even were should there be a winner. All of these facets, which had been so clear cut over Karakura, were now almost mind bogglingly vague.

But two things were clear to her by now.

One, that both the conditions for victory and the stakes were becoming more and more clear as time went on. Hitsugaya's weaknesses and strengths were becoming more and more obvious to her, and she had no doubt that her own strengths and weaknesses, however they stood, were plain to him as well.

And the second thing that was clear to her by now was that, having scored this small victory today…tomorrow was going to be _fun_.

xxxxx

Hitsugaya arrived the next day carrying a bottle of sake in addition to his now customary burden of tea things and the shogi board.

His face was a picture of thinly veiled irritation.

"I hope you appreciate this," he said, setting his things down as Halibel peered at him from across the room. "I had to bribe Shunsui for a bottle of this stuff."

He _could_ have procured some from Matsumoto, Hitsugaya reflected, but then he would have to explain to her to whom it was for, since he _never_ drank himself, and he had no intention of living down her endless taunts if she learned of its intended purpose.

"He's the Shinigami who defeated Stark, right?" Halibel asked idly, though Hitsugaya could tell she was fishing for information.

Well, let her fish, Hitsugaya thought as he shrugged.

Halibel took that as a yes. "He must be very powerful, then…"

Hitsugaya shrugged again. "I suppose he's plenty strong…but his real strength lies in his ability to out-think his opponents. You know how much I admire your tactical ability – and I say without hesitation that Shunsui could easily match wits with you."

That got a raised eyebrow out of her. "Oh really…well then, best not to let his sake go to waste."

She stared meaningfully at the bottle in his hand. Hitsugaya sighed and poured a single saucer of sake and offered it to her, which she accepted far more gracefully than he expected.

Halibel gingerly sipped at the warm beverage, sighing contently as it went down. The tea had been a welcome relief, but this…while it did not compare to the rum she was accustomed to in Hueco Mundo, it burned her throat like fire, warmed her stomach more than any hot meal, and even brought some additional color to her mocha skin. Maybe it was her weakened state, but the drink seemed to fill her in a way nothing had been able to for a long, long time.

"Ahhhh…..that's the stuff…" she practically purred, finishing her saucer.

"I'm glad you approve," Histsugaya frowned nonchalantly, making tea for himself. "Now why don't you tell me something about Tia Halibel?"

The former Espada held a hand out expectantly. "I'm gonna need a few more rounds before I'm ready to put out, kid."

His eyebrow twitched at the "kid" remark. "Let's at least set up the shogi board first…"

Before he could set the bottle down, Halibel leaned over to him from her sitting position, her face suddenly inches from his. His cheeks colored yet again, and before he could push her away (or do anything else that happened to be on his mind), Halibel nimbly snatched the bottle from his fingers and withdrew.

"I've got a better idea…" she gave him a catlike wink. "You set up the shogi board, while I babysit this bottle for a little bit longer…"

Hitsugaya furrowed his eyebrow. This woman was getting far too comfortable around him. And while that wasn't in itself a bad thing, it did mean that she was taking more risks. She was regaining her ability to scheme and play mind games with him, to push and see how far she could go. This was twice now she had been able to maneuver him into letting her get what she wanted out of him, and he didn't much care for it.

But the victory would be short lived, and she would be paying for it. For no matter how well she held her alcohol as an Espada, she was a soul now, with all the limitations thereto. And she wouldn't be able to tolerate nearly as much as she might expect herself to.

Halfway through the game, Halibel was proving him more right than he expected.

"And Grimjow actually believed him," Halibel chuckled, her voice slurring. "I mean, you should have seen the look on his face. When Szayel's potion finally wore off, he could barely walk straight…"

Hitsugaya was staring at her with a look of utter boredom on his face. So far she had regaled him no end of stories about life in Las Noches, and learned absolutely nothing from them aside from the fact that Halibel was a talkative drunk.

"If Ulquiorra hadn't stepped in, one of them would have ended up dead…" she rubbed at her eye with one hand, the other clutching the mostly empty bottle. "Um…whose turn is it?"

"It's your turn," Hitsugaya said patiently.

"Right…" she said, returning her eyes to the board. "Now, let's see…if this were Apacci…and this were Mila Rose…and this were Sun-Sun…then I'd be this one…" she placed her fingertip on the Gold General. "And that would make this one you…" she touched the Silver General. "And this one…would probably be Aizen…" her finger lingered on her King.

Hitsugaya frowned.

"Why did he do it?" Halibel was asking all of the sudden. "What was it all for? Did my sacrifice mean something? Did any of them mean anything?"

The boy's eyes narrowed. "I have nothing kind to say about Aizen. But as for why he did what he did...I can only imagine he simply desired power."

Halibel pouted, picking up her King. "Hmph…and I guess we were just a stepping stone for him in that desire…" she fiddled with the tile, twirling it between her fingers. "Well…good riddance. Whose turn is it again?"

"It's your turn," Hitsugaya repeated, tapping his finger against his arm.

"Oh, right…right…" she muttered, looking more and more unfocused as she stared down at the depressing state of her side of the board. Hitsugaya was probably three moves from winning, and there was practically nowhere for her King to go. "Well then…I guess there's only one move to make …"

She retracted her arm and lifted the King tile to her collar, dropping it between the basin between her breasts.

Hitsugaya's eyebrow twitched and he let out a breath as he closed his eyes. "That's not a legal move…"

Halibel pursed her lips. "You didn't say that at the beginning of the game. If my King's not on the board, you can't put it into check."

Hitsugaya was trying very hard to be patient with this new, more bubbly Halibel. "And if I did the same thing, neither side would be able to win."

"Yep," Halibel agreed, winking. "Unless you wanna fish it out for me…"

Hitsugaya's face suddenly turned beet red as she leaned over the board, squeezing her arms together and exposing most of her chest to him. It took all his willpower not to jump back as she touched a finger to his lips.

"Checkmate…" she breathed in a husky voice.

Hitsugaya swallowed with an effort, before clearing his throat. "I think you've had enough sake for one day…"

The Captain slowly got to his feet and starting packing up his tea things.

"Awww…" Halibel pouted. "You're leaving already? The fun's just beginning…"

"Unfortunately, I have work to do…" Hitsugaya groaned, blaming work so that he didn't have to somehow convince her that he wasn't already entertaining thoughts of staying a little longer.

Halibel crossed her arms. "What's the point of being drunk if there's no one around to enjoy it with?"

The young captain began putting away the shogi board. "Goodnight, Halibel…"

He started towards the door, when he felt her tugging at his coat. It wasn't the attack he was expected, it wasn't a grab or anything designed to truly hinder his progress. It was just an urging.

"Please…" she muttered, her cheeks flushed. "Don't leave…"

In her eyes, Hitsugaya saw a look of honest need and longing. This was different than the time she was trying to trick him into believing she had turned a new leaf. That had been deliberate and forced. This…this was an act of need. The yearning on her face, the thought of being alone, the ache in her eyes was as plain as day.

Then again, sake did things like that to people.

Hitsugaya turned around to face her, stepping up to look into her eyes. "Do you really think I'm buying this?" He asked in a low, tense voice, "This whole drunk act?"

Halibel blinked. "I…I'm not…acting…"

He shook his head. "No…but you're not yourself. You asked me to bring sake tonight specifically so you could get drunk, which would change the way you acted around me. That way, whatever you said would be honest enough for me to think it was genuine."

She said nothing for a moment. For a second, he expected her to blow up at him again. He had clearly caught her in the act – again – and this surely made her feel ashamed. But all she did was slump her shoulders, leaning forward so that her head was level with his.

Her voice took on a much deadlier tone.

"You win again, Captain…" she placed a hand on his chest.

She felt him tense beneath her fingertips, but he made no move to stop her. She couldn't hurt him after all, not even at this range…but she could do _other_ things. Oh, she could do _other_ things…

"But don't think for a moment…" her long fingernails began to trace their way up the front of his Captain's jacket, until they reached his neck, a single deadly nail tickling its way across the exposed skin of his collarbone, up his Adam's apple, until it reached the bottom of his chin, where it lingered, drawing slow, undulating lines. "…That I'm out of the game…"

His eyes were a mask of defiance. He didn't stop her because he simply wanted her to see that what she was doing to him was useless and would have no effect on his hardened senses. But underneath that gaze, she could see his defenses beginning to crack. She could see that, despite what he may want her to think, the only reason he wasn't stopping her was because she was having _exactly _the effect that she intended.

She smiled inwardly. It would not be long now before she had him eating out of the palm of her hand.

"Play all you like, Halibel," he spoke in a low voice that betrayed no hint of the rising temperature in his body. "Just don't forget whose game this is…"

He turned to go.

Halibel snickered inwardly, watching his receding frame. He didn't look back. He didn't dare. Her lips curved into a long, wicked grin.

_It's _always _been my game, little Shinigami…_ she thought as he closed the door. _And I'm about to change the rules…_


	5. Chapter 5

**Bleach Fan Fiction**

**Shackled**

By Kraven Ergeist

Chapter Five

Halibel woke up the next morning and immediately regretted the decision. She squeezed her eyes shut, and lay completely still. She gritted her teeth – a little pain like this was _nothing_ compared to the pain she'd endured as a Vasto Lorde, or as an Arrancar climbing the ranks of the Espada as she had endured beating after beating, year after year. Something as paltry as a headache after a night of excessive drinking shouldn't even be enough to affect her! And yet, she had spent months as nothing more than a soul, spending her days in relative comfort. Mind numbingly boring comfort, but comfort nonetheless. Prison life was softening her up to the point of no return! At this rate, she'd never even be able to regain her previous strength even if she were to be released back into Hueco Mundo.

But she didn't panic. She was nothing if not patient, and this trivial matter with the white haired brat was nothing she couldn't overcome in time. She still didn't know all the variables, and was essentially cut off from everything she had ever known. All that she knew now, she knew by courtesy of the Shinigami. And the Shinigami were the enemy. Their words could not be trusted – no, their words could be wholly guaranteed to be skewed, false, designed to twist her views down the path of hopelessness and despair.

Everything Hitsugaya had said was a lie. None of his sweet words, none of his kindness, none of his compassion…all of it was a trick, intended to turn her away from her true self. Every game of Shogi, every flicker of interest, everything he did for her…it was all an illusion, a trap designed to lower her guard, to make her into one of _them_…

This damn hangover was making her eyes water.

She shuddered. Alcohol was a bitch. Her eyes hurt like hell, and she couldn't even follow the line of the sun through her window as it made its daily rounds across her floor. Gods save her; she was even starting to think of this cell as _hers_ now! _This_ was what she was reduced to. _This_ was her life now! _This_ was all she had!

She ground her teeth in frustration, tears marring her features, brow and nose squeezed together, as if she could squeeze the pain out of her eyes with nothing but her facial muscles. She had to get out of here! Even if it meant her death, she couldn't stay in this room any longer! She wanted something, anything, as long as it wasn't this blank empty nothing that was her life. She shouldn't be feeling this way – her whole _life_ had been nothing but sand and wind and stone for years upon years! Being confined to a temperate room, with a place to sit and lie down, and no threat of predators and death was a paradise compared to Hueco Mundo!

She tugged at her collar. This damn dampening collar was keeping her Hollow powers in check. She was nothing but a soul now, her defenses limited only to what her soul could muster. Was her soul so weak, so withered, so scared and pathetic that this wretched nothingness was enough to break her? Was she so lost, desperate, and alone that all it took was some boy with icy green eyes and snow-white hair to make her feel warm again?

She clenched her fist. She wanted to punch something. Preferably Hitsugaya's face. Damn him – who did he think he was? Offering sympathy like she even wanted such a thing! She was the Tres Espada, damn it! She didn't _need_ anyone or anything! Turning her into this pathetic excuse for a soul was cheating, changing the rules! Anyone could beat anyone if they could take away what made their opponent strong!

It was midday by the time Halibel got up to start pacing around the room. There was a guard stationed somewhere outside, but nothing she ever did ever prompted him to check on her, and she needed to think. She seemed to be getting stronger – that much the brat had helped her with, she admitted – but it wasn't enough. She _had_ to beat Hitsugaya, and it would have to be at his own game. Not Shogi – he had already proved his expertise to be at a level that, for her to master the game enough to beat him at it, he would still essentially be winning by making her into his little pet in the process.

No, she would _not_ be Hitsugaya's plaything. That was _not_ the role that Tia Halibel was meant for! She would get the better of him, easily! By the time she was done, _he_ would be _her_ plaything, not the other way around! She would break his will, make him her thrall! He would give her anything she wanted by the time she was done! He would be hers, to do with as she pleased! If she wanted to be waited on hand and foot, he would do it for her! If she wanted him dead, he would take his own life for her! If she wanted him to put that mouth of his to better use, she would only have to say the word, and he would…

Halibel chewed on her lip. Damn it, now she was blushing! And as long as she was dreaming, she might as well wish for her Fraccion to return to her, bearing her away from Soul Society on a golden palanquin. This was ridiculous! She had no plan, no future, and no hope! All she could do was fume and rage as that white haired brat continued to make a mockery of her! And even her own attempts at seduction were backfiring! Those damn eyes of his were so fucking green! It was like he gave nothing away, when everything she did exposed more and more of her soul to him, until she was all but naked before him.

Damn it! Damn it all to hell! She wanted _out_! This place was driving her crazy! Everything about her situation – this _damn_ cell, that _damn_ captain, her own _damn_ body and the way it kept reacting without her leave to all of this, to her loneliness, to her anger, to her grief, to her own damn need for warmth and companionship…

And what the hell was taking that Shinigami so long to come and visit her? The sliver of sunlight had almost completed its route across her floor, and Hitsugaya usually came by around this time of day. What was keeping him? Had she finally scared him off? Her lips curved into a smile – maybe he realized that she was too much woman for him to handle? It was fun to imagine him standing outside her door, wondering whether he had the balls to push the door open and face her again. She knew he wanted her – she could feel the heat coming off his body last night. Then again, maybe that had just been the sake…

Then she frowned. Maybe he had simply given up on. Maybe she had pushed him too far last night – maybe he was done with her. No, she thought. Hitsugaya was too stubborn to just give up on her. He may have looked like a kid, but he was stronger than that! She wouldn't have respected him when they had fought over Karakura had he been timid enough for mere flirtation to get the better of him.

He had told her that he would listen to her! He had told her he would be her friend! He wouldn't just…walk out on her! He wouldn't. He couldn't!

Night came, and all Halibel could do was wonder what she would do if that was to be the end of it. How would she stay _sane_? She wasn't an Arrancar anymore – she was a soul! She needed human contact! Having received the Shinigami captain's visits for a week now, she had grown accustomed to his presence, aggravating as it was! As much as she was loath to admit it, she wanted to talk to him, even if just or a few minutes!

This was humiliating! Had this been the living world, she would have welcomed the loneliness. It would only turn her into a Hollow, and she would begin the process of becoming an Arrancar again. It would have been a long shot, but the odds were better than they were now. Now, all she could do was stew in aggravation and desperation.

Who did this Shinigami think he was, anyway?

xxxxx

When Hitsugaya stepped into her cell the next day, late in the afternoon, Halibel was lying on her side on the stone bench inlaid on the wall across from the door, facing away from it. At the sound of the door, she whirled, completely taken off guard. She must have been distracted by something, he thought idly as he slid the door shut behind him. She was staring, wide-eyed at him, her eyes reddened as though she had been crying. She didn't say anything as he set down the teapot (no shogi board today), but the indignation on her face was plain as day.

"Good evening, Halibel," he said calmly, kneeling down in front of the brazier as though nothing was out of the ordinary.

Halibel slowly sat up, turning to let her legs drop off the edge of the stone bench, keeping her deadly gaze fixed on him.

Hitsugaya pretended not to notice as he began to brew tea. "Sleep well?"

Halibel crossed her arms, looking for all the world like a pouting child who was just denied candy on Halloween.

Hitsugaya raised an eyebrow at her continued silence, letting the tea steep. "Is something wrong?"

Halibel got abruptly to her feet. She took three slow, deliberate steps towards him, before plopping down in a sitting position, her arms still crossed, her face still a mask of indignation.

"What…" she demanded slowly in a voice that broached no interruption. "…Was _that_?"

Hitsugaya gave her a smile so innocent that it took all of Halibel's restraint not to punch his smug little face in.

"What was what, Halibel?"

He was clearly taunting her!

"Where _were_ you yesterday?" she demanded, angrily.

"Working," Hitsugaya explained as he began pouring tea. "I don't have the time to visit you _every_ day. You seemed like you needed some time to cool off, anyway. And you haven't exactly been making me feel particularly welcome, you know?"

Halibel was staring in stupefaction. Was he actually going to presume to be the victim in this situation?

"Where do you get off acting the way you do?" Halibel blurted, eyes creased in disgust. "You waltz in here out of the blue, offer me all sorts of empty promises and niceties, and you expect me to act like we're friends? To just forget the fact that I'm a prisoner and you're one of my jailors?"

Hitsugaya frowned, though she could tell he was still toying with her. "I could make a similar query of you, Halibel. You haven't exactly been _acting_ like a prisoner."

"Well, what do you expect?" Halibel guffawed, rhetorically. "You bring me tea and sake and shogi, and expect nothing but humble gratitude? How am I _supposed_ to react?"

"Would you prefer I treated you with scorn and contempt?" Hitsugaya ask, with a quirk of his eyebrow.

Halibel visibly seethed. "You…are _beyond _cruel, Shinigami!"

This caused Hitsugaya to pause. He blinked and wrinkled his eyebrow. "I'd say under the circumstances, I've been fairly accommodating. Were the situation reversed, do you think I would receive similar treatment from your kind?"

"The Espada wouldn't _taunt_ you like this!" Halibel slammed her fist into the stone floor next to her as she blared at him, red faced. "They wouldn't dangle these brief glimpses of a life you'd never have in front of your face every day, and then _yank_ it away every time you reached for it!"

Hitsugaya's face was hard an unreadable as usual, but the smug look was gone. He was honestly considering her words.

"The thing is…" he began. "I'm not convinced that you actually _are_ reaching for it."

Halibel frowned. "What?"

"Everything I've done," Hitsugaya held his arms out. "Everything I've offered, everything I've brought to you, you've essentially scoffed at the first chance you got. You're not interested at all in what I have to offer you."

Halibel resumed pouting, her hands held together on her lap. "I liked the sake well enough…"

Hitsugaya rolled his eyes. "And promptly used it as a pretext to try to seduce me."

Halibel's familiar, carnivorous smile was back. "What do you mean, 'try?'"

Hitsugaya's eyebrows went up. "Oh please. You're about as subtle as a brick. Every maneuver you pull, every angle you work, it's clear that all you want is to get me to lower my guard so you can try to spring out of here."

Hitsugaya leaned forward.

"What I want, Halibel, is to try to get you out of here _legally_."

Now it was Halibel's turn to raise her eyebrows. "Wait…what? What are you talking about, Shinigami?"

"My name is Captain Toushiro Hitsugaya," the small captain said. "If you want to get out of here, I'm your best hope. So I suggest you start being more polite with me."

Halibel pursed her lips. Just what was this Shinigami playing at?

"Listen," he said. "I'm petitioning to get you relocated to somewhere more open. Some place with sun, with fresh air, with common amenities. You'll still be our captive, but no one should be stuck in some tiny jail cell for the rest of eternity."

Halibel's arms were still crossed as she wrinkled her nose. "What's the catch?"

Hitsugaya shook his head. "No catch. But it's as I said before – if my help is unwanted, unwelcome, than I won't continue to waste my time. You have to _want_ this life I'm offering you, Halibel. And it _is _life, in comparison with this place."

"Let's say I believe you…_Captain_…" she spat out the last word. "Which I don't, by the way…but…why? Why would you do this for me? Your enemy?"

Hitsugaya shook his head. "Because maybe I've moved beyond thinking of you in such simple terms as _friend_ and _enemy_. Maybe I'm trying to set a good example for the other Shinigami. Maybe you shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth."

Halibel snorted. "Fine example you're setting, Captain," Halibel rolled her eyes as she said the title. "All you're doing is proving to the others how soft you are."

Hitsugaya inspected the tea, deciding that it had steeped enough, and took a tentative sip, eyes closed.

"Maybe…" he allowed, savoring the flavor. Ginseng. Delicious. "Maybe I am just a soft, sentimental child…"

He opened his eyes, and those deep, piercing green eyes met her own, and Halibel had to suppress a shudder. She saw the barb coming before he even lobbed it.

"But from where I'm sitting, you need me a lot more than I need you."

Halibel ground her teeth together. How could she be so blind? That was the real reason for his absence yesterday! He had been testing her! Or just making a point! Either way…she would not let it work.

"That still doesn't explain why you're doing this…" Halibel snorted, indignantly. She suspected there was more at work here than mere goodwill. She just needed to get him to admit it, the show it somehow. To give himself away. She was so close to getting him to slip. She could _feel_ it!

Hitsugaya sighed. "Is it so hard to believe that a Shinigami might show you kindness? You need to get over yourself."

Halibel ignored the jibe and smirked back at him, haughtily. "Uh huh…you sure you just haven't fallen for me?"

There! A slight reddening of the cheeks, a little extra tension in the neck muscles. She had hit the nail on the head.

Hitsugaya recovered as quickly as anticipated, and shot back with a predictable retort with equal promptness. It made no matter. She had seen his reactions enough to know how he ticked now. She had won this round, even if he didn't realize it.

"_You_, lady, are _far_ too accustomed to being at the top of the food chain," Hitsugaya sighed in exasperation. That much, at least, was genuine. "A shark may be the deadliest predator in the sea, but once a fisherman hauls it out of the water, it just becomes another fish."

He put his hands on his hips.

"You're not in the sea anymore, Halibel. And even my patience has its limits."

"Now, now…even out of the water, a shark can still bite…" Halibel smiled widely, flashing him a carnivorous smile that displayed her pristine white teeth to emphasize her point. She leaned over, shifting her weight to sit on the side of her hip, her legs off to one side, leaning on her elbow. "So tell me, Captain…" she said, eyes full of evil promises. "Where shall I bite first?"

Hitsugaya was getting redder by the second. He tried not to imagine the way her lips would feel against his own, but it was difficult with her sitting right in front of him, shifting back and forth, licking her lips.

"You need to stop…" Hitsugaya warned darkly, his eyes growing colder.

"What's wrong, Captain?" Halibel breathed, her voice as smooth as silk as she leaned forward, letting the collar of her white robe loosen, revealing enough caramel-toned skin to make Matsumoto do a double take. "This 'fish' too much for you?"

Hitsugaya wrinkled his nose and shook his head. "Stop it, Halibel. Stop angling for an advantage. Stop trying to get under my skin. There's no advantage to be had, and you're going to end up driving away your only hope for a way out before you ever get me to where you want me."

Halibel edged closer to the Captain until he could feel her body heat, until he could smell the captivating aroma of her hair, until he could see the smooth perfection of her milk chocolate skin.

"Oh…I think you're exactly where I want you right now…"

Hitsugaya ordered himself to stand, to distance himself from the sultry minx before he fell into her trap entirely. But his legs refused to answer him. His heart was pounding in his chest, and he could feel sweat beading along his forehead.

"You're playing with fire, Halibel," he breathed, her face inches from his own. "And you don't even realize that it's already burning you."

Her breath tickled his skin as she giggled. "I can take a little heat, Toushiro…" she leaned in closer, her wicked green eyes fixed on his. "Can you?"

He would have answered, but she was so close, he could nearly taste her. She was moving ever so slowly, but keeping her lips just inches from his, teasing him, daring him to close the distance himself.

She wanted him to put the nail in his own coffin, he realized. It would be one thing for her to try to claim him. He could always continue to resist if she tried that. But to make him come to her…there would be no turning back. Everything that happened after that would be his doing.

Well…two could play at that game.

He reached up to cup her cheek in his hand, his thumb running along her lower lip.

"Tempting…" he smirked, once again in control. "But you've got to do something for me first…"

She blinked, not quite dissuaded yet. "Oh? And what's that?"

Hitsugaya stood up and looked down at her.

"I'm risking a lot by sticking my neck out for you…" he frowned. "I need you to meet me halfway. I need to know I can trust you to behave yourself."

Halibel was still coiled like a lounging cat, but she could already tell that Hitsugaya wouldn't be breaking tonight. But she had made progress, she knew. It wouldn't be long now.

"Me? Misbehave?" Halibel winked, playfully, her voice a purr. "I wouldn't dream of it."

Hitsugaya's frown deepened. "I mean it, Halibel. I need you to _work_ with me, here."

He reached down to offer her his hand.

"Can you do that?"

Halibel smirked like a cat and took his proffered hand. Maybe it was just the fact that she was just a soul now, with barely a fraction of her former power. But his grip felt so strong, so reassuring. If she ever did manage to bend him to her will, she might have to take the time to enjoy it, she decided.

"Fine…" she agreed, grabbing his hand and hoisting herself to her feet, letting one hand come up to take him by the shoulder to steady herself. "But you need to do something for me too…"

Hitsugaya's body went rigid as once again they were inches apart.

"What?" he asked, stiffly.

His eyes flew open as she stole a quick kiss.

She was…warm. Alive.

He yanked away from her quickly, and she didn't pursue him.

"That?" Hitsugaya demanded. "Is that all you wanted?"

"No…" Halibel looked away, red-faced, her lusty voice gone in an instant. "What I wanted…what I wanted was…"

"What?" Hitsugaya glared at her hesitation, but he could not have appreciated how difficult the next words she said were.

"Don't…don't leave me drifting like that again…" she muttered, looking ashamed of herself.

Hitsugaya blinked. He could detect no lie from her. In fact, from everything that he'd learned about her, she would have been far too proud to have possibly admitted that she had actually _missed_ him yesterday.

But she'd said it.

He smiled. He was making progress too.

"I won't," he promised, and began to collect his things.

As Halibel watched him leave, she felt an odd feeling overcome her. She was actually looking forward to seeing him again tomorrow, but not just for the chance to further twist him around her finger.

A part of her was actually kind of missing his company.

Unfortunately, another part of her was also really missing his company. She waited for a few moments after he departed, and then stood, twisting her legs uncomfortably. She had really, really expected him to break by now.

"Mmmh….damn it!" she whined out loud to herself, red faced as she shuffled back to her cot to lie down and take care of herself. "You are _beyond_ cruel, Shinigami!"


End file.
